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As grafted tomatoes are a current source of buzz and controversy in the home gardening world, I potted up a couple sent for evaluation by the J. W. Jung Seed Company (jungseed.com) this spring.

I chose "Big Beef" because it's a classic — early, easy and tasty — but heirloom varieties, being less vigorous and more susceptible to soil-borne pathogens, benefit even more from this method.

Peppers were also an option, but I decided against them since they do better with long, hot summers. (Given the weather so far this season, my concern was probably unwarranted.) Eggplants, cucumbers and watermelons are other commonly grafted veggies.

Grafted plants are nothing new. All kinds of ornamental and edible plants benefit from the practice, which essentially puts a desirable upper part, one with tastier fruit or prettier flowers, on to a vigorous, disease-resistant rootstock. In a way it's like hybridizing, but without the wait.

Tomato grafting has been commonplace in Korean and Japanese commercial agriculture for over 50 years, and is popular with in backyard vegetable gardens in Europe.

Unlike with traditional tomatoes, you don't want to bury the stem on a grafted tomato — the graft site needs to be kept above ground, or else the rootstock might send up new growth and take over. This was made clear in a letter that accompanied the plants, which also included this helpful hint: "For complete instructions, read the enclosed instruction sheet completely."

The reality is, there's not much to it. Since the vines are so vigorous, proper staking is essential. Any suckers that pop up from the roots or roots that form above the graft need to be removed. Taking off the bottom foot or so of foliage will help with circulation, as will strategic thinning of the top growth. Fertilize as you would any tomato, and no more. Over-fertilization results in too much foliage and delayed fruit-set.

Popular opinion is divided on these tomatoes. Gardeners do better with plants bought pre-grafted by experts (though it would be fun to try your own at home), but they are expensive — about eight bucks apiece — and, some say, just not worth it. If you have room to plant several plants in the ground, seedlings are probably just fine for your needs.

I only can fit a couple of plants, so for me, they're worth it. They are huge, healthy and full of fruit. And boy, am I excited about that first BLT of the summer.